Passing a Message by Conor J. O’Brien - Signed Deluxe Vinyl Edition

*Very Limited Stock!* Passing a Message by Conor J. O’Brien - Signed Deluxe Vinyl Edition

Hand Signed by Conor J. O’Brien Hardback 1st Edition New & Unread - Published 12th September 2024

Collected for the first time in one volume, Passing A Message contains the lyrics to over 80 songs, with artwork and photographs, along with previously unseen notebook lyric drafts and drawings curated by Conor J. O’Brien, for his musical project, Villagers. Presented as a full-colour hardback book, with a unique glow-in-the dark cover, this Limited Edition also contains the previously unreleased song, ‘Pictures of the Floating World’, as an exclusive 7” vinyl.

Dublin has a long and legendary tradition of writers, and since Conor O’Brien adopted the name Villagers, the singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-dramatist has joined the club with a rich, deep and diverse body of work. The new Villagers album, That Golden Time, underlines O’Brien’s unwavering commitment to a uniquely nuanced, literate and melodic fusion of folk, pop and rock that has won awards and accolades from peers such as Paul Weller, Elvis Costello, Damon Albarn, Guy Garvey and The National. O’Brien launched Villagers on stage in 2008 and on record in 2009, but it was not until his 2010 debut Becoming A Jackal that he truly made a mark. From a whisper to a literal howl, Becoming A Jackal startled and soothed in equal measure and topped Ireland’s Album chart, received nominations for the Mercury Music Prize and Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year whilst the title track won the Ivor Novello award for Best Song. 2013’s more band-orientated album {Awayland} paid off by going two better, a #1 Irish album and winning the Choice Music Prize, alongside a second Mercury nod. 2015’s Darling Arithmetic was a sparser, acoustic-leaning step forward that revealed even more of O’Brien’s songwriting nous and intimate thoughts, suitably rewarded with an Ivor Novello award for Best Album and another nomination for the Choice Music Prize (all O’Brien’s records have received that honour.)

After 2016’s interim release Where Have You Been All My Life?, a live collection of re-recordings, 2018’s The Art Of Pretending To Swim knitted Villagers’ multi-faceted approach with added soulfulness and rhythmic swing, a sound and vision that 2021’s wilder, kaleidoscopic Fever Dreams expanded further. That Golden Time showcases O’Brien’s more minimalist side, adding subtle enhancements on woodwind, strings and electronics, and sociopolitical comment that nevertheless reads as exquisite poetry. A fearless reinventor of his songs on stage as well as on record, Villagers remains a thriving live band and 2024 will include headline shows at Dublin’s prestigious Trinity College and London’s Royal Festival Hall. O’Brien is a prolific collaborator too, writing for Charlotte Gainsbourg, Nico Muhly and Paul Weller, as well as duetting with John Grant and Lisa Hannigan, performing with André de Ridder and Stargaze, recording Nick Drake and Carly Simon covers, and remixing Weller and Saint Etienne. But it’s his own songs, and his own dulcet voice, that has forged O’Brien’s reputation as Ireland’s premier melody-maker.

Format: Hardback Edition ISBN: 9780571543113